26-year-old Menards employee dies after falling 20 feet at Michigan store, cops say

A Michigan man is dead after an apparent workplace accident at a Menards store, according to officials.

The 26-year-old employee fell a distance of about 20 feet while using an elevated platform machine, landing on the concrete floor below, the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

First responders headed to the store in Orange Township at about 8:42 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Paramedics and firemen treated the man on scene before transferring him to Sparrow Ionia Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased,” officials said in the news release.

Investigators said safety equipment was functioning properly but was “likely not used appropriately.”

The investigation will be turned over to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the sheriff’s office said.

Though 20 feet may seem like a relatively short distance, it’s more than enough to be fatal, data show. In 2015, roughly 52% of deadly falls among construction workers in the U.S. were from 20 feet or less, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Orange Township is about 120 miles northwest of Detroit.

This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 4:17 PM with the headline "26-year-old Menards employee dies after falling 20 feet at Michigan store, cops say."